SAN DIEGO -- William Myers doesn't like missing games, but he hopes doing that will be exactly what gets him going.
The Padres' first baseman was out of the lineup for the second straight day Sunday. With Monday's off-day, Myers will receive a three-day break to mentally "reboot, recenter," manager Andy Green said.
On Sunday, prior to the series finale against the Pirates, Myers said he was on board with the decision as he searches for a way to correct his .196 average in the second half.
"I'm never a guy that wants to take days off anyway, even just a normal rest day" Myers said. "But for me, the way Andy described it, I felt like it was a good idea for me to just maybe take a step back and more so just kind of get away from it.
"These last two months have been tough. Haven't really swung the bat well at all. I think it was good to just take a step back, miss the game a little bit, and just get ready to go for Tuesday."
The Padres open a series at home against the Twins on Tuesday.
After batting .310 in April, Myers is hitting .219 across the next three months. Overall, he's hitting .237 since posting a .286 average in 2016's first half to earn his first All-Star nod. He's tied with Hunter Renfroe for the Padres' lead in home runs (20) and also leads the team in walks (45) and RBIs (49).
Myers played in 100 of San Diego's first 103 games, following a 157-game campaign in 2016. Despite his dip in performance, Myers has consistently been on the field after consecutive injury-marred seasons in 2014 and 2015.
"He doesn't ask for days off," Green said. "... This year, he came out with the mindset that he wanted to play 162 games, which is a great mindset to have. It's my job to decide if that's the best way for him to go through a baseball season, but you want your players to want to be on the field every single day. Wil wants that, and he wants to produce as much as anything. I think these couple days -- not by his request by any stretch, but by my judgment -- should be good days for him to step back and get back after it."
Myers said he has never taken a reprieve like this weekend before, though he's also never struggled to this extent in his career.
He was antsy during the Padres' 4-2 victory Saturday, wanting to help his teammates. Myers watched as his replacement in the three hole and at first base, Jose Pirela, hit a pair of triples. Pirela was in the same spot Sunday, while Myers will spend another day in the dugout getting his mind right.
A couple of weeks ago, Myers described his slump as exclusively mental, with nothing physical causing issues. He amended that statement Sunday, saying an off mental mindset could cause physical flaws, but still reiterated his struggles are mostly between his ears.
"It's one of those things where I've got to find the right mental approach and find that confidence again," Myers said. "I definitely think it's going to help. I definitely don't think it can hurt at all. I think this is one thing that can only help me."